Help me chose BK Princes or Ashford 30

Highbeam said:

That doug fir will be great and if you have it split and stacked already that wood will be just fine this fall. Those small logs are already fairly dry.

Most folks in the NW love the doug fir (aka red fir east of the pass). I envy your log load and price and if I could get that deal, I would take it here even though I have a 15 acre woodlot of free wood to cut. How did he unload that truck? Was there a grapple on the front?

I too have burnt willow, cottonwood, pine, red cedar, doug fir, and red alder in the BK and other that the low ash quality of the doug fir and the high ash of the cottonwood, it would be hard to tell the difference in burn times or heat output.

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Thanks again for the feedback. All this information is helpful. Out of curiosity, why would you want to buy wood if you've already got more than you can use? Just the blow-down on 15 acres would seem far more than enough to heat a house with a Blaze King.

I get pallets from a pool supply store to stack wood on -they just put them out by the road.
If you check Craig's List you will prolly find some free ones.

Parallax said:

Thanks again for the feedback. All this information is helpful. Out of curiosity, why would you want to buy wood if you've already got more than you can use? Just the blow-down on 15 acres would seem far more than enough to heat a house with a Blaze King.

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My woodlot is 50 miles away and across the narrows toll bridge so each cord costs me 30$ minimum plus the time on the road and wear on the F350. I don't really get much blowdown out there and about half is now in pasture. Plucking out the alders really makes it look nice though since the evergreens are just prettier. The other trouble is that I don't just cut a tree and leave the mess, I need to skid the tree out and limb it, pile the limbs and deck the log.

To have a pile of 16 cords of logs setting at home that I can quickly access at my leisure has great value.

Between the two stoves, I expect to consume 5-6 cords each year. The BK led to an annual drop in wood consumption of 20% compared to my previous non-cat stove. The shop stove is fueled for "free".

Highbeam said:

My woodlot is 50 miles away and across the narrows toll bridge so each cord costs me 30$ minimum plus the time on the road and wear on the F350. I don't really get much blowdown out there and about half is now in pasture. Plucking out the alders really makes it look nice though since the evergreens are just prettier. The other trouble is that I don't just cut a tree and leave the mess, I need to skid the tree out and limb it, pile the limbs and deck the log.

To have a pile of 16 cords of logs setting at home that I can quickly access at my leisure has great value.

Between the two stoves, I expect to consume 5-6 cords each year. The BK led to an annual drop in wood consumption of 20% compared to my previous non-cat stove. The shop stove is fueled for "free".

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Makes sense. I was figuring you were living on 15 acres. 50 miles and a bridge crossing is a long haul. As for fuel consumption, it will be interesting to see how long that 16 cords lasts. I've got 2650 square feet but a well insulated home with an open floor plan. I'm hoping it will only take 2 to 3 cords a year but that may be overly optimistic. I definitely want to keep the place comfortable. If that means burning 6 cords, I'm alright with it.

HotCoals said:

I get pallets from a pool supply store to stack wood on -they just put them out by the road.
If you check Craig's List you will prolly find some free ones.

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You're absolutely right. Just checked Craigslist. Within the past couple of days there are at least two offers to pick up 5 or more free pallets. Now I just need to find myself a small pickup truck without paying a small fortune.

Parallax said:

That's really good to know. I've heard that Blaze Kings were designed for the softer types of woods we have in abundance here. Maybe I heard it from you.

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Actually, the EPA test method requires all wood stoves to burn Douglas Fir in the test procedure. That may change in the near future with the new NSPS.

HotCoals said:

What's a average size house in Fairbanks?

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Most of the homes are 1200-2500 square feet. The Cold Climate Housing Authority in Fairbanks has some amazing history of testing construction materials and methods. Very cool "geek" place to visit if you find yourself there.

BrotherBart said:

If you have an ACE Hardware store close, check with them. They have to pay to have the pallets hauled off. Mine loves me picking up a few.

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Thanks. Will do.